George Ford breaks silence on Owen Farrell's England future as he eyes up new role

George Ford, England's fly-half, believes the team is adjusting to life without Owen Farrell at the Six Nations. It is a positive sign for his future as the main decision-maker of the team. Ford will earn his 93rd cap on Saturday at Twickenham against Wales, nearly a decade after his first game.

Ford and Farrell have played together in midfield for many of those matches, with Farrell often being the dominant voice. However, with the former captain stepping back from international rugby for mental health reasons and Marcus Smith injured, Ford may get a chance to lead the team.

Farrell's upcoming move to Racing 92 in Paris might signal the end of his England career. The 30-year-old Ford acknowledged that Farrell's absence leaves a gap, but he feels England are getting used to him not being around.

Ford said: "It is different. He has been here for so long, he has been such an integral part, he has been our captain, he has been a massive leader for us, and he stamps his authority on our team.

"He added that it's time for change and other leaders need to step up, praising Jamie George for doing just that.

"The first day at camp, and he is not here, initially it is a bit strange because he is rugby-mad, and he is rugby-obsessed, and a lot of the conversations me and him would have would be about rugby, the game at the weekend, about training, about the game the previous night. Having said that, Marcus and Fin Smith are rugby-mad as well."

Ford now has the keys to No. 10 but has previously been the fall guy when an England coach reshuffles the backline. Stuart Lancaster dropped him for the second game of the 2015 World Cup and Eddie Jones did the same for the 2019 quarter-final against Australia.

Ford added: "I have been through all the emotions, frustrated, disappointed, gutted, angry and you do because it means a lot to you.

"I probably didn't deal with that first game of the 2015 World Cup, it was such a new experience for me," added Ford. "We had a World Cup in England, you play the first game of the World Cup on a Friday night and you win with a bonus point and then things change the week after.

"There has been a fair amount of swapping and changing but we have had a lot of success along the way. Whether that is I have been starting or Owen has been starting. The one in 2019, we had a plan for that game, and it worked unbelievably well. Then we end up playing together in the semi-final. It is not all negative."